Jesus is the Messiah!
The promised and expected deliverer of the Jewish people.
Isaiah
53:12 Zech
12:10
Jesus Christ, fulfilling this promise
and expectation. John 4:25-26.
Every soul is
created by God, and so belongs to Him for all eternity. We are His creations
and are bound by His laws, just like an inhabitant of an earthly country is
bound by the laws of that land. Likewise, when we break God’s laws we are
subject to punishment, as we are subject to human laws and punishment within
society.
“For everyone belongs
to me, the parent as well as the child – both alike belong to me. The one
who sins is the one who will die.”
(Ezekiel 18:4 - New International
Version)
“For the wages of sin
is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
(Romans 6:23 - New International Version)
In the beginning,
when God had created the universe and all that was in it, everything was
perfect. Adam and Eve walked alongside God in the Garden of Eden, in close and
perfect relationship with Him. This is how God wanted the world to be, how He
wanted His relationship with humans to be, unspoiled by sin. When Adam and Eve
were tempted by the serpent, and ate from the tree of knowledge of good and
evil, sin entered the world. They had broken a promise to God and gone against
His will. What had once been perfect was now infected by sin. This sin then
infected the rest of the human race as Adam and Eve’s descendants.
This may not
seem fair and many ask: ‘Why should we take the blame for Adam and Eve’s
decision?’ However, when we take an honest look at ourselves we see the sin we
have inside us. No-one can deny that, at some point, they have gone against the
will of God in thought, word or deed, allowing sin into their lives.
“But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his
face from you, so that he will not hear.”
(Isaiah
59:2 - New International Version)
Sin is a
barrier between us and God. Sin keeps us from the Kingdom of Heaven. Sin
prevents us having a full and intimate relationship with God. Without the death
of Jesus we would not be able to bridge this chasm that sin has created between
us and God. There is nothing that we could have done to fully atone for our
sins, as it requires a blameless sacrifice. None of us are blameless, no matter
how good we try to be in the way we live. In
order to keep the laws of God one has to be without stain or blemish.
“For you know that it
was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed
from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb
without blemish or defect.”
(1 Peter 1:18-19 - New International
Version)
This is why Jesus had to die. Without
the sacrifice that HE made, the sacrifice of a perfect and blameless man, the
door to the Father would have remained closed. Jesus was God made flesh, divine
and human, born into this world, as only the perfect nature of God would ever
be enough to fully redeem the sins of the world.
“For what the law was
powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his
own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he
condemned sin in the flesh.”
(Romans 8:3 - New International Version)
Jesus gave His life for every person
that ever did, is, or will live. When we pray for forgiveness, it is Jesus’
blood that washes away the sins that we have committed, allowing us to be
cleansed and therefore righteous in the eyes of God. Through Jesus the gates of
Heaven are flung wide for those who believe and seek redemption.
Jesus’ amazing gift and
forgiveness.
Despite knowing that He was going to
die, and who it was that would kill Him, Jesus blamed no-one and held no-one
responsible for his death. Jesus willingly gave His life for humanity, so we
could be forgiven of all sin, for all time. It was in in his authority to
choose to lay down His life and He did so. It was in His authority to rise again,
back to life, and He did so.
“The reason my Father loves me is that I
lay down my life – only to take it up again. No one takes it from me,
but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and
authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
(John 10:17-18 - New International
Version)
“Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what
they are doing.”
(from Luke 23:34 - New International
Version)
Jesus gave each and every one of us a
gift the day He died. Each and every one of us had a huge yoke of sin and debt
on our shoulders that, alone, we would never have been able to remove or repay.
Peter Abelard (1079-1142) said this of Jesus’ sacrificial death: “The Son of
God took our nature, and in it took upon himself to teach us by both word and
example even to the point of death, thus binding us to himself through love.” God
is timeless; He knows every one of us, past, present and future, and loves us
so much that Jesus died for us. It was Jesus’ love for all, even those who had
not yet been born, that caused Him to willingly give up His life.
Jesus’ death was an incredible model of
sacrifice and service to God and humankind. Jesus was commanded to give His
life, and freely chose to obey this command so that the world could be saved.
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and
to give his life as a ransom for many.”
(Mark 10:45 - New International Version)
If you haven’t already done so, give
your life to Jesus so that your sin can be washed away. Enter the Kingdom of
Heaven, a place of eternal joy, and be with God the Father.
Dear Jesus, I acknowledge that you are
God and died so my sins could be forgiven. I am sorry for all of the things in my
life which were against Your will. Please come into my heart - give me peace,
joy and life everlasting. Be my Lord and savior; help me live for You and serve
you every day. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment